[at-l] Weather proofing maps

[orangebug74@yahoo.com (Orange Bug)]

You can get away with Aquaseal if you hang it by a corner with
clothespins and avoid allowing it to touch anything. It has to be
soaking wet from the stuff to fully penetrate. A disposable aluminum
pan helps with this as you can really glop it on. It helps to string it
up in the kitchen with large work surfaces and hang it overnight while
your wife is out of town and can't smell or see the stuff. Then it will
be fairly rigid and somewhat fragile to handle. Folding will break the
water proofing, and the map will tear sooner or later. I would expect
similar results with Thompson Waterseal (probably a great deal cheaper
and something I am waiting for Mrs Bug to leave for a weekend so I can
try it in our kitchen). The waterproofness is sort of like sterility in
pediatric outpatient surgery - only sort of. 

When I use topo maps (Cohutta Wilderness and such), I simply make
folds, tape them to reinforce, find a ziplock big enough, and unfold
for the area I am near if I need just a portion while walking. This
serves me okay, but probably wouldn't help someone into orienteering.

Bill...

--- saunterer@jimbullard.org wrote:
> I can tell you what *not* to do.  Don't use AquaSeal for maps.  I
> treated a set of maps with AquaSeal once, followed the directions
> carefully, dried them flat for twice the recommended time and they
> looked good (albeit a bit stiff).  The first time I got them wet on
> a trip they couldn't be unfolded.  They all stuck together in a gummy
> mess and had to thrown away.
> 

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